


To Fix What Is Broken

by DarkAssassin0927



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Government, High School, Hurt/Comfort, NASA, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:34:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24490633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAssassin0927/pseuds/DarkAssassin0927
Summary: “Hey guys, check your phones.”“What?”“Why?”“Just check! Because apparently it's August 2016 and we’re not in senior year.”The Zeo Crystal sent them back a year before Rita's awakening and now they have a chance to fix what went wrong. But something isn't right and there are Putties appearing all over town. The Rangers are now trying to protect their home, handle high school and train without their parents figuring it out.OrI really wanted to read a time travel fic and only found one so I wrote another.
Relationships: Billy Cranston & Jason Lee Scott, Billy Cranston/Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart & Jason Lee Scott, Zack Taylor & Trini
Comments: 15
Kudos: 56





	1. Wake Up (I'm not drowning)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea has been sitting around for a while and I've finally gotten around to writing it! Enjoy~

Jason woke up before the sun had risen, a silent scream on his lips. Heart thundering in his chest as adrenaline burst through his system. He sat up, staring blindly at his bedroom, the red power coin burning in his hand. _What the fuck?_ Rita. Goldar. The Team. The Zords. Angel Grove in _flames._ Yet when he looked out the window there were no signs of battle in the distance. No sound besides the early morning birds that start to sing before the sun rises. 

A crippling feeling of terror suddenly burst through him. _The Team. Where was his team?_ Where they hurt or injured? Were they alive? Jason reached for his phone in a blind panic but something… something wasn’t right. The wallpaper on his home screen was different, no longer showing a picture of his new team by the cliff face but instead a picture of his old team. _His football team._ His contacts were wrong. The numbers of the rangers were no longer there and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what they were. _What the hell?_

It was quarter past four by the time he arrived at the cliff. Chest heaving as the sun began to peak over the horizon. He didn’t bother going into the garage as his car still had major damage from his stunt a few weeks ago, so he had to run the whole way. Climbing out his window and dropping to the ground below, it wasn’t until he had reached his destination that he realised that his ankle monitor was missing. 

Zack was already there when he arrived, bouncing on the balls of his feet in a futile attempt to dissipate some of his nervous energy. 

“Jason,” His name left the Black Ranger in evident relief. 

“Zack, you’re okay,” Jason felt some of his terror ease at the sight of his friend. 

The light was still low but as he got closer, they both noticed something wasn’t quite right but before they could address it, Trini appeared in the distance. The light was bright enough to see each other clearly by the time everyone had arrived and Jason felt a heavy sense of relief at seeing them all alive and well. Yet something still wasn’t right and none of them could shake this feeling that something was wrong. 

“Guys, what’s the last thing you remember?” Jason started. 

“The Battle with Rita.” Kimberly reached out towards Trini, remembering how her SaberTooth Zord was almost crushed by Goldar. 

It was five against one and still the rangers found themselves outmatched. They had just learned how to morph and their understanding of their Zords were rudimentary. They could barely understand how to pilot them, faint hazy memories guiding them through the controls. Rita quickly realised that she could split their attentions between her and the town, allowing Goldar to dig into the Earth. 

She sent wave after wave of Putties at civilians, forcing Jason to leave his Zord to protect them from the ground. As soon as the rift in the ground had opened, they all moved their Zords to block her advancing but it was too late. They were tired and in pain, partly burning alive from the heat of the flames and they… fell. 

They failed. 

Jason faltered as he recalled those final moments. Memories crashing back to him as they sky brightened. The single instant when the world he knew was ripped apart. He could recall the feeling of being broken into a million pieces. Atom by atom. Every tissue and fibre that made him _him_ was in an instant pulled backwards and destroyed. 

_Backwards._ Now wasn't at an odd thought. There wasn't any other explanation for it. The feeling of being sucked into a tube while made of everything and nothing at all. 

Trini cut through his thoughts, eyes wide with surprise as she pointed to their friend, “Kim, your hair.” 

“What about my-” Kimberly reached her hand up to touch her _suddenly long_ hair before freezing, “Oh shit.”

Billy shifted on his feet as he looked around, “Is it just me, because it might be just me, or does everyone look… younger?” 

“Hey guys,” Zack’s voice shook, “Check your phones.” 

“What?”

“Why?” 

“Just check! Because apparently it's August 2016 and we’re not in senior year.”

“August 23rd.” Jason affirmed with a mix of excitement and dread. 

“August 23rd.” Kimberly whispered. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Trini swore. 

A shaky laugh left Zack’s lips, “Aliens, Superheros, now _fucking time travel?_ ” 

“This can’t be happening.” 

“We need to get to the ship. Talk to Zordon and Alpha-5,” Jason seemed to get his act together the fastest, making his way towards the ravine. “Look around us! There’s no sign of battle, Kim’s hair is long, we all look younger and my ankle monitor is gone. There’s no other explanation.”

The _we’re not dead_ rang unspoken.

* * *

Falling was second nature at this point, the first few times were slightly terrifying as your stomach dropped and you hit the water below. One by one, Trini, Kimberly and Zack leapt off the edge. Jason waited until everyone had left the ground before following. At least that’s what he would have done, had something not stopped him. Billy stood by the edge, seemingly frozen as he stared into the depths below.

“Billy?” 

Jason felt a surge of concern as he noticed a slight tremor to the Blue Ranger’s hands. 

”Billy, what’s wrong?”

“I-” His voice shook slightly, breaths becoming shallow and more frequent, “I can’t.” 

Jason felt his insides twist at what those words seemed to imply, “Billy, look at me. Just breathe, can you do that?”

The teen nodded in a jerking movement, every muscle in his body tense.

“That’s it, in and out. Just take a deep breath for me Billy.”

“I- I can’t. Jason I-”

“Shhh Billy, just focus on your breathing. In and out. You’re not in the water. You up here with me.”

“J-jason- '' Billy's eyes grew clouded and Jason felt something foreign and filled with anguish hit him in the chest. 

Never had he felt more helpless at the sight of his friend in distress. Not even when Billy drowned because the solution was clear; pull him out of the water. Stop him from drowning. But this time there was nothing hurting Billy. Nothing to fight back against. Nothing to pull him away from. 

_Billy was in pain._ And Jason didn’t know how to fix it. 

It was almost as if he could feel Billy’s terror in the back of his mind. Jason was the Red Ranger. He was the leader. But more than that, more than the simple duty of his role, they were his friends. And Jason would never let a single one of his team fall before him. He would never again let _Billy_ fall. So, he pushed every feeling he had into his next words, hoping that they somehow got through. 

“Billy I won’t let you drown. I’ve got you.”

* * *

Billy didn’t understand what was happening. He’d done this before, every day for almost two weeks. So why was it bothering him now? He felt himself freeze up as something foreign but not unfamiliar coursed through his veins, making his muscles tense and hands shake. 

“Billy?” Jason’s voice sounded hazy and distant, like it was coming through water.

_Water._

Distantly he realised that his breathing had increased in frequency. Breaths becoming shallow and insufficient and his chest tightened. The sudden lack of oxygen making his vision blurry and his heart rate to rocket. 

_He couldn’t breathe._

Billy knew he needed to get down there, he knew he had to get to the ship but the idea of submerging himself into the water _terrified_ him, “I-I can’t.” 

_He couldn’t do it. He couldn't BREATHE._

“Billy, look at me. Just breathe, can you do that?”

He tried to nod but it came off jerky and unnatural. It was like he couldn’t move his body. _He didn’t have control._

“That’s it, in and out. Just take a deep breath for me Billy.” 

“I- I can’t. Jason I-” How could he get him to understand? He couldn’t _breathe. He couldn’t breathe. He was drowning._

“Shhh Billy, just focus on your breathing. In and out. You’re not in the water. You up here with me.” 

Billy felt hysteria bubble up inside him. For a moment he thought he could hear his friend speak softly, trying to sooth him and it made Billy’s eyes sting. He was trapped under water. He was drowning. Jason wasn’t really there. He was alone. He was going to die and Rita would win. The Rangers would be in pain like his Mum was after Dad died (and would be after he died too). He could hear them screaming, calling him in pained shouts as he fell through the depths of the murky water. Sinking deeper and deeper. 

“J-jason-” Billy’s eyes grew clouded as he quickly lost himself in a memory. _I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not being strong enough. I’m sorry for telling her where to find the crystal. I’m sorry for making you upset._

_Please don’t be sad. Please forgive me._

“Billy I won’t let you drown. I’ve got you.”

_I’ve got you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for clicking on this fic! I hope you liked it so far! Have a good day and thanks a million for reading!


	2. The Start of a New Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I did not expect it to take this long to update. Goodness. Sorry?  
> Yeah school sucks. Really. Well like it's great but it also sucks.
> 
> The next chapter won't take as long as this!

Billy’s breathing suddenly started to even out and the Red Ranger felt relief spark in his chest as his eyes began to clear. 

“Jason?” Billy questioned softly as if surprised to see him there.

A wave of exhaustion settled over him like a lead weight causing his knees to buckle. However, instead of hitting the ground, Billy found himself leant against the other boy. Face buried in Jason’s shoulder with two arms wrapped around him to stop his fall and Billy… Billy didn’t freeze. He didn’t tense or push away from the sudden contact and that was… Odd. 

Maybe it was the feeling of safety and protection that seemed to radiate off the Red Ranger that made him relax in his grip. Maybe it was the sheer exhaustion of the flashback that made him too tired to push away. Whatever it was, it was working and Billy didn’t particularly want to move. 

“It’s okay, I’m here.” Jason’s voice was grounding and idly, Billy registered that he smelt… nice. Jason was warm. Jason was there. He could feel the fresh air in his lungs and lack of icy water around him. He was dry. He was _safe._

He shifted in his grip and Jason pulled away jerkily, remembering that Billy didn’t like prolonged contact.

The sudden feeling of loss he felt at the absence of Jason’s solid presence, made Billy’s head spin in confusion before it was replaced by guilt as he remembered what he’d done, “Jason I-”

“Don’t apologise,” Jason’s face suddenly flashing with anger, “Don’t ever apologise.”

“O-okay,” He stuttered, feeling slightly thrown by the unexpected reaction. 

A moment passed in silence before Jason spoke out, “I won’t make you go down there. We’ll find another route.”

“It’s fine- really! We’ve got to get to the ship as soon as possible-”

“Billy. We’ve got a whole year. There's plenty of time. How about I go down and get the others and then we’ll sort this out okay?” There was a steady sense of reassurance in his tone and Billy felt a little less bad about what had just happened. 

“Yeah, okay.” 

The tension suddenly leaked out of the situation and Billy suddenly found himself lost in thought. The Blue Ranger remembered the intense feeling of _safety_ and _unfailing determination to protect_ that cut through his terror a few moments ago. He couldn’t help but stare into his friend’s eyes, searching for an answer because those feelings had to come from somewhere and he felt like the answer might just be there.

“Like- you know,” He waved his hand vaguely, “There’s got to be another way to get to the ship without jumping. ‘Cause our stuff always gets soaked and it’s really impractical and- well- um...” Jason blushed bright red under Billy’s intense gaze and the younger boy suddenly realised that this was probably another one of those things people didn’t do. 

(Privately, Billy didn’t know why the word _cute_ appeared in his head at Jason’s fumbling.)

oOoOOoOo

As soon as Trini, Zack and Kimberly fell through the water, they felt something was wrong. A slight sense of discomfort grew in the back of their minds and it threw them off kilter. 

“Where’s Billy and Jason?” Zack looked around briefly before turning his face to the ceiling of water above them. 

“They were right behind me. I swear.” Kimberly shifted on her feet, that feeling was growing and it wasn’t pleasant. 

They stood there, looking up for another two minutes before Zack cracked slightly, the feeling wasn’t strong but it was there, like a separate entity pressing on their chest, “Why are they taking so long?”

He picked up a loose stone and threw it through the water in frustration, “We should go back up. What if something’s happened?”

“I’m sure they’re fine…” Kimberly trailed off concerned as Trini suddenly let out a string of curse words. 

“Shit. Shit shit shit!” 

“Trini what-”

“Water. Fucking water.” She seethed and everyone paled at her words. 

“Billy.” Kimberly felt a little sick. 

“How could we be so stupid?”

“Hey Crazy Girl, listen, Billy was fine jumping through water before the battle-”

“Adrenaline Zack,” She ground out and his eyes widened in realisation. 

“Shit.”

“Exactly.”

“So we should go-”

“Jason is there. Too many people could overstimulate Billy if he’s going through a panic attack.”

“Fuck.”

Another minute ticked by and Kimberly was very close to hitting something. It was getting harder to separate whatever weird feeling they were all clearly experiencing from the concern filling them. Suddenly, something washed over them, making their shoulders sag from relief as the uneasy feeling quickly dissipated with it. 

“What was that?” Zack breathed out, not even questioning if the others had felt it too. 

“I don’t know but... everything’s alright now? I mean it feels like that.” Kimberly puzzled. 

“Yeah, I get you.”

.~*~*~*~*~.

Jason fell through the water, landing steadily onto the ground below. 

“Jason! Is Billy okay?”

“He’s fine now-" The Red Ranger answered without pause, not stopping to question how they knew Billy wasn't okay, "-But we’ve got to figure out another way to get him down here." 

“We don’t have time to explore this cave system to find out.” Zack started but at seeing Jason begin to protest, he pushed forward to prevent him interrupting, “Look man, I get that we’re a whole _year_ in the past but what if this is temporary? What if this isn’t real? Have you thought about that? You know, paradoxes and stuff- I don’t know! Science isn’t my thing man.”

Kimberly nodded in agreement, “We need to ask Alpha as soon as possible.”

“But we can’t leave Billy.” Jason stated.

“So one of us goes back up.” Kimberly responded. 

“I’ll go-”

“No Jason, you’re the Red Ranger, you need to be part of the group Alpha meets first.”

“Kimberly’s right, you’re the leader,” Trini interrupted, “I’ll go back up and sit with him. You guys check out the ship.”

Despite wanting to further protest, Jason understood their reasoning, a little confused as to why he so adamantly wanted to get back up to Billy. 

oOoOOoOo

Their steps were cautious as they set foot on the familiar smooth grooves of ancient metal. There was an eerie and terrible stillness about the bridge, the Rangers being so used to Zordon's ever present face and Alpha's excited chatter despite it only being eleven days.

"Hello?" Jason's voice echoed through the empty ship with a slight hint of uncertainty. 

There was a moment of silence before the sound of whirring machinery traveled through one of the side passages. Small lights cutting through the darkness and down towards them. The walls shifted like a 3D puzzle, clicking back into shape. Unexpectedly, Kimberly coughed, trying to stifle a laugh as she suddenly remembered how they all ran in terror and how easily Zack was flipped by a robot half his size. Zack clearly noticed her amusement and gave her a stink eye, feeling his 'coolness' under attack. The corner of Jason's mouth ticked up in a poorly suppressed smile, they wouldn't run this time. 

Moments later, a pair of round, glowing eyes started unblinking at them as if not fully believing them to be really there. When the silent staring failed to stop, the Ranger's began to grow a little worried.

"Um... Hi?" Kimberly tried and the reaction was almost instantaneous. 

Alpha's lights glowed and shifted in a way which they recognised as _ecstatic joy,_ before he zoomed further forward, grasping Jason's hands in excitement before shouting “I’ve been waiting for you!” with untamed glee. 

"Hey Alpha." Zack huffed in relief. 

The robot jolted in surprise, "You know my name!"

"Oh-ah..." Zack fumbled for a second, looking towards Jason for help. 

"Yeah, we know who you are. Do you know who we are?" The Red Ranger cut in with a smile. 

"Little Power Rangers! The ship wouldn't have let you in if you didn't have a power coin." Alpha bounced. 

"Little-" Zack muttered in disbelief. _What?_

"Right," Jason nodded, breezing past the comment, "Alpha our situation is a bit complicated but before we get to that, are there any other ways to get in to the ship from the outside? Other than the water... portal."

Alpha nodded, the tilt to his head somehow reflecting slight confusion. 

"Come come, I'll show you."

.~*~*~*~*~.

29\. 30. 31.

Billy counted the seconds. Up and up and up. Knees drawn up towards his chest as his fingers tapped out a steady rhythm. 

46\. 47. 48. 

Jason hadn't stayed long after figuring out what to do, jumping down into the ravine without hesitation. 

83\. 84. 85.

He didn't move from his position on the ground, still reeling slightly from the after effects of his panic attack. 

109\. 110. 111.

His ears picked up a slight sound and looked up just in time to see Trini climb over the edge.

114\. 115. Stop.

"Hey."

"Hi," Billy gave a small wave, not feeling particularly inclined to move from his position. 

She gave a small smile and made her way over, proceeding to sit down beside him, not far enough for him to feel isolated but not close enough for him to feel uncomfortable and a small part of him felt thankful for that. 

"The others are gonna go talk to Alpha and see if there's another way down," She notified him, head tilted back to look at the sky, "They'll come back when they find one."

"O-oh, you didn't need to come back and sit with me- you know if that's too much trouble-"

"It's all good Billy, don't worry about it."

"Okay."

The silence that followed wasn't awkward but surprisingly calming. Despite the campfire talk and the almost two weeks of non stop training, Billy and Trini hadn't really had much time to interact and they found that they didn't really mind each others company. 

oOoOOoOo

Zordon was back!

To say that Alpha was ecstatic would be an understatement, it had been millions of years after all. As expected, Zordon was slightly disoriented but after a quick explanation, he seemed to accept his situation quite well... all things considered.

The new power rangers - Alpha buzzed with excitement - were all so young looking! It made them seem so little despite being taller than him (most things were taller than him...). Zordon seemed a bit skeptical, seeing that they were, in all fairness, untested and nieve, but Alpha was quick to reassure him that so far, they seemed like decent creatures. 

But something- something wasn't right. These teenagers were unpredictable, knowing information he didn't expect them to have access to, even stepping on the footprints without being asked or prompted. There seemed to be a silent sort of communication passing between them and as far as Alpha was aware, humans did not possess he ability to communicate telepathically. 

They were weird. But weird wasn’t so bad. Not when it gave him company. 

It had been 65 million years of silence. Locked beneath stone after the final order to strike Rita into this world’s oceans. After uploading Zordon, Alpha found himself turning to fixing what ever he came across. Without the power coins, the ship was mostly dormant but despite that, he did a pretty good job, fixing whatever he could reach that wasn’t crushed and impossible to move.

It took a long time to rebuild but Alpha was quickly figuring out that he would have lots of time. Lots and lots of time.   
  
He started shutting himself down for short periods of time, waking up only to check if some creature had found the power coins. Twelve hours between check ins soon turned into 24 hours and then 48. Time passed and Zordon remained inactivated, Alpha now sleeping for one hundred thousand years in between checks. 

65 million years. It took 65 million years before something happened and Alpha’s circuits sparked with a desperate sort of relief when the ship picked up on a signal. 

The ‘internet’ was a wonderful invention created by these homosapiens. Yes, other planets had their own versions but for such a primitive race, their development of technologies had advanced at an unprecedented rate. Most planetary systems had created such technologies so long ago that the very thought of a society functioning properly without that sort of interconnectivity was simply incomprehensible.

Alpha didn’t go to sleep again after he gained access to this primitive network of signals. Information was added daily, history, science, politics, societies and languages; anything and everything could be found there. Alpha’s purpose was to assist and it was becoming increasingly probable that the new Power Rangers would be five of these humans. How could he fulfill his role if he did not understand the very creatures he hoped to meet one day?

When they finally arrived. When the ship started _moving_ for the _first_ time in _forever_ Alpha stood, frozen before these three young creatures, power coins glowing bright and beautiful in their hands. For the first time in forever Alpha was’t alone and for a moment, he was sure that he was going crazy, that they weren’t actually there, that his circuits had grown so old they were creating illusions. But then it spoke and the joy he felt struck him like lightening and had yet to leave. 

So yes, these little rangers were weird and definitely had something interesting to tell but Alpha’s role was to serve and after losing his first family, he would _not_ lose a second. It didn’t matter if they had tentacles and blue teeth, these creatures were now his to protect and serve and Alpha would do anything for them, regardless of whether they were weird or not. 

Alpha wasn’t alone anymore and that was enough for him. 

.~*~*~*~*~.

"This is unprecedented." _Yeah no kidding Zordon_ , Jason thought.

They had told them, in no embellished terms, what had happened from the very beginning. How they had found the coins and discovered that they only had _eleven days_ to suddenly become some sort of super soldier, strong enough to defeat a magical, gold obsessed lady in green. They told them about Billy's death and their realisation that they weren't invincible. Of how Zordon gave up his chance to come back to give Billy another shot at life. Of Angel Grove in flames and Rita pushing them into the Earth's core. The feeling of being ripped apart before waking a _whole year_ in the past. 

“So what happened to us?”

Zordon was quiet, the wall shifting to show a deep look of concentration on his face. 

"The Zeo Crystal," He began hesitantly, "is the source of life on this planet and so holds some form of sentience. I believe that, sensing it’s resting place was being threatened- knowing the planet it cared for and allowed life on, was in danger..."

"Yes?" Jason urged and Zordon's continued to look lost in thought. 

"The Zeo Crystal, while an extremely powerful source of energy, only holds that power with a price. It cannot move, it cannot direct its energy alone. It isn’t sentient in the same way you are. But… when you ‘fell’, I believe you touched the heart of the crystal itself and that contact, coupled with your possession of the power coins, allowed it to channel its energy through you.

"Pure energy is unpredictable and when only given one command, it can interpret that in many ways. With both the wish of the coins to protect you, coupled with the Zeo Crystal’s wish to protect the planet directing it… the result must've been sending you back in time."

"So what you're saying is that this isn’t temporary," Jason clarified, hope blooming in his chest, "This is real and we’re here to stay?"

"To put it simply, yes."

The Rangers stood, frozen at Zordon's confirmation.

"Holy shit." Trini whispered, her voice tinged with shocked happiness. 

"Holy shit!" Zack echoed with a bright grin before jumping into the air with a yell.

"We can fix things- we can save them..." Kimberly realised. 

_"We can save everyone."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for waiting patiently for this! Please do let me know what you thought!


End file.
